Disenchanted
by Flowerslilac
Summary: This is the story with a difference. Modern woman in ME set to stop the reign of terror of a cannon-meddling Sue during war of the ring . After waking a Sue from her sleep, Ash has no choice but to stop the Sue from meddling with the cannon at all costs
1. Prologue

Chapter 1: Introduction

**Title:** Disenchanted.  
**Author:** Flowerslilac.  
**Summary:** This is the story with a difference. The girl in middle earth set to stop the reign of terror of a particular cannon-meddling Sue.  
**Rating:** Er, PG?  
**Pairing(s): **None.  
**Feedback:** Flames not appreciated, but hey, I'm trying to learn so go ahead if you feel the story needs it.  
**Characters:** All characters except the MS and Ash belong to J.R.R Tolkien. I have simply used the artistic licence given to _most_ fanfic writers.

**Betas:** None yet, but if you see some promise in the story, please, offer.

**Notes: **In attempting to keep the story as realistic as possible, I'll attempt to use Westron and Elvish. Please, if you are capable and able to translate for me, offer. And don't try to kill me if I make a mistake.

**Disclaimer: **All characters and ideas belong to J.R.R Tolkien.

Chapter 1:

Disenchanted - Prologue

A strange hush had fallen upon Middle Earth. A sickly silence, with no bird call or sound of the leaves of the trees rustling in a gentle wind. It was dark, darker than many of the nights in Arda, no star or moon gracing the sky with their bright presence. It was though the land was shrouded waiting for something to happen whilst it held its great breath.

This silence however, did not go unnoticed. Lord Elrond previously had been sitting at his desk reviewing one of the many maps that his good friend Erestor had brought to him from one of the Library rooms of Imladris. There was much work to be done in the coming weeks, much work. Even with the gift of foresight, Lord Elrond Peredhil could not begin to fathom just what was to come. It was during his studious observation of the map of Eriador that Elrond felt a change in the Middle Earth a certain… wrongness that he had not been felt strongly since the downfall of the deceiver. He moved outward from his rooms to his private balcony, looking down at the garden below as one of his sons lit the nighttime lanterns. His son too glanced upward for a moment wondering at the stillness.

A ranger too, camping in the wilderness attuned with the wild and rugged landscape that he called home felt the quiet, dismissing it from his mind as his rabbit stew started to boil over.

It was during this moment also, that the creature Gollum skulking under a fallen tree whispering quietly, 'precious… precious.' Even this creature was stilled, tilting his head slightly and shutting his luminous eyes against the silence. It hurt it's head, it did.

It was with this silence, not with a bang, or cloud of smoke, that a great fiend arrived into the lands of Middle Earth. She had fallen through shadow and flame and passed through a great light that had called to her from her bus stop in Sydney. Lying prone on the ground, she had delicate alabaster skin and long golden red hair that fanned out around her head, it was slightly curled but in a gentle waving fashion. She was quite thin, but curvaceous at the same time with a bust rival to that of Lara Croft. Long delicate eyelashes touched her cheeks as she continued sleeping, gently breathing in the nights warm air.

And still, there was a silence.

Of course, that's when the screaming started. It was soft at first, the echo of an echo and after that a full blood curdling scream as out of the darkness of the sky hurtled a body travelling at high velocity. The wind gusted slowing it's decent as it plummeted towards the earth, and then by chance the person flying downward slowed and then instead of crashing onto the grassy earth and becoming the next kind of pancake, this person instead landed into the rushing river Hoarwell.

With a gasp for air the person was thrown by a wave onto the shallow bank. The water was cold, almost below freezing and using one of the long reaching roots of the coarse trees growing along the side of the river they hoisted themselves up higher on the bank dragging their yellow flannel pajamas through the mud and tearing the knees on sharp rocks.

'Oh my god. Oh my god. I've been kidnapped and dropped out of a plane! Oh my god!' The young woman held onto the muddy tree root watching the white foam of the river rush past her. 'How am I not dead?' The last thing she could remember was falling asleep in her small apartment. The next thing she knew she was freefalling through the air. Screaming bloody murder!

'This is crazy. I must be on some candid-camera show. Well! It's not very funny!' She shouted looking around. It was too dark really to see anything but a faint tree line in the distance and maybe what looked like a cliff face further down the river. It could have been a rock. The sound of the water was painful to her ears, rushing past as the water level seemed to rise even higher. With a groan she used the tree to pull herself onto the grassy bank and collapsed. Blearily looking around she could see something in the dark, it looked like… hair.

'Oh god. I'm in some crazy person's burial ground. I'm going to get chopped into tiny pieces!' Standing in the dark she moved toward the hair on the ground. The moon seemed to start to shine then and as she walked she was taken aback. Why… it was only a young woman. The girl was peacefully sleeping on her back, a small smile on her rose colored lips.

'Hello?' She said to the sleeping girl. The woman on the ground groaned delicately as her cold wet hands shook her shoulder. 'Are you alright? Hello?' Pale eyelids opened to reveal glowing eyes staring up at her.

'Oh goodness!' The girl on the ground said, sitting up as her hair cascaded around her like gleaming fire in the moonlight. 'It must have worked! Are you an elf?'

'…excuse me?' Stepping back the woman decided the girl was obviously quite insane.

'Or maybe you're a man! Pray tell, stranger, what be your name!' Compelled, by her glowing eyes the woman answered with a scowl.

'Ashleigh.'

'Oh. Well, that doesn't sound very middle-ages. My name however is Aruiniel. Do you like my dress?'

'Sure. It's a dress. Nice.' Ash was already walking toward the next set of trees, away from the strange clearing and the even stranger girl.

'Wait!' With a growl of irritation Ash found herself turning to face the girl again.

'What?'

'You must be here to help me, I think. I need to find… Bree! I am meeting up with a Ranger and four hobbits.' What kind of Tolkien nut was this girl? Ash thought to herself, frowning. 'I have been sent on a special mission of the utmost importance.'

'So special that you decided to take a nap in the middle of a forest by yourself?'

'Oh, but I'm not by myself! My unicorn has wandered off I suspect. And it matters not, I am one of the best fighters of my land, my father trained me personally.'

'Alright. If you say so.' Clearly the girl was utterly bonkers. But, there was something compelling about her. Like… sniffing paint one too many times and wanting to sniff it again. Wondering belatedly if she had been drugged or something Ash moved back towards the girl. The girl however was ignoring her, instead rummaging through a pack that had appeared at her side. There was a large sword beside her too, and a bow and arrow quiver filled with arrows. Looking around carefully to make sure she didn't miss anything else that was going to appear suddenly Ash leant back against the nearest tree.

'Maybe it was a horse instead.' Aruiniel said sweetly, and sure enough there was the sound of hoofs in the distance as through a break in the trees a dark horse without a saddle slowly walked towards the two women.

'Alright. Where's the camera?' Ash said exasperatedly, squinting in the darkness at the tree trunk.

'Farewell Ashleigh, I am off to save this land from destruction!' Sliding gracefully onto the horses back, the young girl waved in the moonlight, smiling a big white toothy grin.

'Bring about destruction more like it, you insane loony.' She grumbled, not watching Aruiniel as she rode off into the darkness. As the girl's fiery-golden hair vanished into the moonlight her head seemed to clear, shaking it she sat at the base of the tree still listening to the sounds of the river. Soon she couldn't hear the hoof beat of the horse as it and the girl were out of her earshot. Drawing her knees up to her chest Ash sighed. She was cold, and wet. And now had no idea on earth where she was. Well, Ash thought as she looked around again listening to every tree branch move and twig crack. There was no point moving until morning. After all, tripping on a root and breaking your neck was probably not what the camera crew would be looking for.

'I wish I'd worn my raincoat to bed.' Although, feeling better now that the girl was gone Ash couldn't help but feel responsible for waking her up and… well, unleashing was the only appropriate word really. Something niggling at the back of her mind that suggested that maybe, that sleeping beauty should have remained sleeping. Oh well. It wasn't really her responsibility to do anything… was it?

TBC

Let me know what you all think. Okay?


	2. Beside Trollshaws

Title: Disenchanted

**Title:** Disenchanted.  
**Author:** Flowerslilac.  
**Summary:** This is the story with a difference. The girl in middle earth set to stop the reign of terror of a particular cannon-meddling Sue.  
**Rating:** Er, PG?  
**Pairing(s): **None.  
**Feedback:** Flames not appreciated, but hey, I'm trying to learn so go ahead if you feel the story needs it.  
**Characters:** All characters except the MS and Ash belong to J.R.R Tolkien. I have simply used the artistic licence given to _most_ fanfic writers.

**Betas:** None yet, but if you see some promise in the story, please, offer.

**Notes: **In attempting to keep the story as realistic as possible, I'll attempt to use Westron and Elvish. Please, if you are capable and able to translate for me, offer. And don't try to kill me if I make a mistake.

**Disclaimer: **All characters and ideas belong to J.R.R Tolkien.

Chapter 2:

Disenchanted – Beside Trollshaws

Turns out, Ash didn't move very far from that one tree that night. She sat there, through the long hours of the night half dozing as the cold drizzle dripped down her neck. The tree she was sitting against must have been blown away from the rest of the forest as a seedling because behind her stretching as far as she could see to either side was a massive forest. It was dark and foreboding and from what she could see as they day progressed there were many large boulders and fallen trees further in. She could smell pine leaves, and the tree she was leaning against was a beech.

Uncomprehending and waiting to wake up, she sat there. It was hours after dawn. The rain had stopped but her clothes were still damp. She shivered and watched the river. The area was unfamiliar. The other side led down towards a cliff face and downhill against the hills. It was quite a walk, quite far away.

Any minute now, a jeep would roll up with a camera crew and someone with big black headphones on his head would yell cut. Ignoring her stomach growling rather loudly, the ache in her knees from the way she was sitting and how cold and wet her clothes were so she waited.

Ash had debated going after the weird girl on the horse. But of course it had been too dark, or too wet to move. Besides maybe if she moved too far the cameras might not find her. She studied her pajama leg, her clothes looked the same. Well, less bright yellow and more… dark brown. It had dried in some places, caking to her legs and arms. She vaguely thought of taking a shower later, she'd have to get up soon. With a groan, she pulled herself to her feet.

'Not even considerate enough to kidnap slippers too.' She groaned again, stretching upwards and then bending as her spine cracked. Looking down at the ground as she walked, carefully navigating the many stones on the ground she headed along the forest. Chances were either way she went she'd run into someone eventually, and she didn't want to go into the forest in barefoot.

In all fairness Ash hadn't been walking for very long before she heard the sound of hooves again. Unable to tell where the sound was coming from, she stopped. Maybe the insane girl had just been riding around in circles all day? She was still next to the forest, walking down a grassy hill the tree she had been sitting near was back in the distance. Her pajamas were dry at least, brown but still dry. The sounds of the horse faded into the distance. Even as she looked around she could not see where the horse could be hiding. Maybe she was just going insane. The sun had passed over her head and was slowly moving lower into the sky before she came upon a grove of shrubs and boulders sticking out of the forest.

'…great.' This is insane. She thought as she walked a wide circle around the scraggy bushes. There didn't appear to be any roads or houses in the distance. But, she had lived in the country for a time so the lack of civilization didn't worry her as much as it should. No skyscrapers or airplanes in the distance. It was very quiet, no cars or trucks, no screams of angry children or angry parents. She could hear some birds; seeing a few fly towards the trees. Stepping further from the edge of the forest and closer to the field of tall grasses and how hilly the landscape was. For the first time she could appreciate how massive the mountains were behind her as she walked away from them. Maybe she'd stumble into a town and find the police station and ring someone to come and pick her up. Still watching the ground as she walked she trailed her hand through the slightly yellowed grass. Oh shit! What would her mum say? She was supposed to have a late brunch with her this morning! What time was it? With a dark look upward Ash regretted never joining the scouts as a child. The sun was more… towards the ground on one side of her. And it had passed overhead so it was the afternoon. But she had no idea the exact time. Oh well, she thought. Her mum would just ring her ex-boyfriend and see if he could track her down… if she even turned up for brunch. She had been rather scatterbrained lately, too many things on her mind she supposed. A tree fell somewhere in the forest then with a crack. Birds took to the sky and the ground shook for a second. With a weary look at the forest she moved even further out into the field away from the dark wood.

She could still hear a bird calling, it distracted her from the rumbling of her stomach again and as she looked toward the forest she stepped badly and stumbled. She fell to her knees heavily and sat there for a second breathing hard. That hurt.

'_Stop!_' A man was speaking to her as she waited for the pain in her knees to pass. Looking up she blinked. She could not understand a word he was saying.

'Excuse me?' Brushing some of the dirt off her knees she stood and faced the man in front of her. He was a nutcase too, clearly as insane as the girl from this morning. She looked at his boots, feeling queasy for a moment. They were simple leather ones, no heel no laces, and the top of the left one was slightly ripped. They looked hard worn and caked with mud. His dark tunic too was caked with mud along one side as if he'd slid down a muddy hill. He had a large obviously fake sword strapped to his side and his belt was woven and folded over several times. His dark hair was long, unwashed and he unshaven. Ash stepped back away from the man. With a shriek she fell to the ground again, having stepped over the same rock she'd already tripped on. 'Christ!' she swore as she stood up again warily eyeing the man who eyed her back just as suspicious.

'_Who are you?'_ He asked her. He was taller than her, and one of his hands rested on his fake sword.

'Uh. Do you speak any English?' Great Ash frowned, a truly devoted role-player, just fantastic. He shook his head at her for a second.

'_Do you speak the language of the elves_?' He asked her.

'Er, Le Francaise? El Spanish? Dutch? No?' He warily shook his head at her. With a frown he tried a different tactic; raising his free arm he touched it to his chest gently.

'Nemir.' He said once. Clearly he had one of those hippie parents who thought naming their kids new age names was all the rage. It was kind of a universal greeting though, and given that he was dressed incredibly strangely with a huge rubber sword at his side he was probably a nutcase. But, on the upside he hadn't shot her, tried to eat her or harm her yet and he was a person. Maybe he had a mobile phone. Repeating the movement Ash tapped her chest.

'Ash.' She didn't smile, simply looking at him. 'Do you have a phone? Or a muesli bar? Look, I can give you cash once I get home if you can just take me to the nearest town?'

'_What is your business here?'_ With a sigh she shook her head.

'I don't understand you!'

'_Do you speak this language? Can you understand me? How did you come so far without a horse? An escort?_' Nemir tried using different dialects, Westron, some of the Rohirric he had picked up from his travels. She was clearly insane, dressed in some strange brown and yellow cloth. He supposed the safest thing to do for both of them would be to point her in the direction of Bree and hope her escort caught up to her. He would have taken her himself had he not lost his horse, pack and cloak in the forest. He had strayed too far from the track and the horse had caught sent of a troll and bolted. Throwing him for the first time in years.

'Can you please help me?' Pleading with him she brought her hands together hoping the he could help her, or point her back to civilization. Nemir sighed; truly this day was not going to end well. He had been on his way to Imladris to meet with Elrohir son of Elrond to discuss some of the most recent happenings in the forests near to the Shire and he had to make haste.

'_Ash, I have to travel for five more days to reach Imladris,' _He held up one hand repeating the words five and days. '_I shall bring you with me to Imladris, and then down the Great East Road I will leave you in Bree with your people.' _

'Five hours? Five hour walk to this… Ladris place? I suppose a five hour walk isn't so bad to get to a police station.' He still kept his hand on his sword, as Ash nodded eagerly.

'_Alright, we shall walk now then until the sun sets below the mountains.'_ Gesturing for her to walk forward he stepped behind her and walked a few paces behind. '_If you intend harm toward me I will run you through with my blade.' _Nemir said quietly, as he watched her. He may have been kind hearted, but these were troublesome times and the servants of the Enemy drew nearer with each passing day. Under rock and in tree they seemed to watch all the good folk of Arda. If the strange maiden were to be anywhere, then under the Guard of Imladris would be such a place.

Turning her head to watch the strange man out the corner of her eye, Ash couldn't say she felt comfortable about the situation. She had always been to trusting towards others, a flaw in her personality wanting to see the good in everyone. Hell, if a man pulled up in a van with candy she probably would have accepted it.

But where were they going? Why had she never even heard of this Ladris? Was it some Swedish town? He didn't look Swedish… As she stumbled again she cursed and resolved to just watch where she was going as they continued to walk along side the forest. Heading who knows where.

TBC


End file.
